The present invention relates to a measuring device, which comprises functions to display or store measured values and further to display guidance information for operation.
In recent years, a mechanical type survey instrument only for performing surveying operation at predetermined points has been used less frequently. Instead of this, an electronic survey instrument is becoming the main stream in this field. The electronic survey instrument is provided with special programs so that the electronic survey instrument can display or store measured values, so that it can display guidance information for operation to facilitate easily execution of a complicated surveying procedure or so that it can simplify the measuring procedure by inputting predetermined measuring conditions.
The programs include a basic program and an application program. The basic program comprises a program for converting a signal from a distance measuring unit to a distance, a program for converting a signal from an encoder to an angle, and a program for displaying surveyed values on a display unit. The application program calculates or stores the measured values by a procedure according to the surveying operation. There are various types of the application programs depending on the type of surveying, and the application program is installed by electronic medium such as memory card or is stored in advance in a built-in storage unit.
In a card type survey instrument, because the programs can be customized, it is often used in a total station, which is a high-grade electronic survey instrument.
In a built-in type electronic survey instrument where a general surveying procedure is stored in advance, the basic program and the application program are recorded in a ROM mounted in a circuit substrate.
Incidentally, unlike a simple mechanical type survey instrument, the electronic survey instrument is operated according to the programs. New functions can be added, program bug can be repaired, or version of the program can be updated.
In the card type electronic survey instrument, the programs stored in a card may be rewritten for the purpose of repairing program bug or of updating the program version, etc. However, the basic program is incorporated in the survey instrument, and a cover of the instrument must be opened for the purpose of rewriting. In the electronic survey instrument with programs incorporated in it, both the application program and the basic program are incorporated in the instrument. When it is wanted to update the version of the program, a cover of a main unit must be opened, and ROM inserted in the circuit substrate must be replaced.
When a program bug is repaired or the version of the program is updated, if it is a card type survey instrument, the procedure is simple and can be carried out at the distributors or at the survey companies which have a plenty of survey instruments. This can be carried out by replacing the memory card and by rewriting the contents of the memory card using a computer.
However, as far as it is concerned with the incorporated components or in case of a built-in type electronic survey instrument, the cover of the main unit must be opened for such procedure. In recent years, program type survey instruments are becoming the main stream. In this respect, the program version must be updated more frequently. As described above, in case of the incorporated components or the built-in type survey instrument, such procedure can be dealt with by replacing storage components such as ROM. However, dust or dirt may be entrained and it requires complicated procedure. Also, replacing of expensive ROMs means higher cost. When it is necessary to perform this procedure on a great number of survey instruments, many ROM rewriting devices are required, and this is very difficult to accomplish.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a measuring instrument, by which it is possible to easily rewrite the content of the program in an electronic survey instrument incorporated with survey programs, to simplify the operating procedure, and to reduce the cost.
To attain the above object, the measuring device according to the present invention comprises a program for operating the measuring device, a copying program for rewriting the program or for copying the program, a rewritable first storage means for storing the program, a signal input/output means, and a second storage means for storing the copying program, wherein the program stored in the first storage means is rewritten through a new program inputted through the signal input/output means. Also, the present invention provides the measuring device as described above, wherein a program stored in the first storage means is copied by the copying program and is outputted through the signal input/output means. Further, the present invention provides the measuring device as described above, wherein the program can be rewritten from a measuring device to another measuring device by operating the copying program of the measuring device provided with the copying program. Also, the present invention provides the measuring device as described above, wherein a plurality of measuring devices can be connected via the signal input/output means, and by operating the copying program, the program stored in the first storage means of a measuring device on an input side can be rewritten by a new program stored in a measuring device on an output side. Further, the present invention provides the measuring device as described above, wherein the signal input/output means is provided with a wireless transmitter/receiver for inputting and outputting a data signal by wireless. Also, a measuring device, comprising a program for operating the measuring device, a copying program for rewriting the program or for copying the program, a rewritable first storage means for storing the program, a signal input/output means, and a second storage means for storing the copying program, wherein the second storage means further comprises a transfer program for inputting and outputting a program to be rewritten or a program to be copied as a data signal through the input/output means. Further, the present invention provides the measuring device as described above, wherein the program stored in the rewritable first storage means is a survey program, the measuring device has a distance measuring and angle measuring function, and the distance measuring and angle measuring function is performed based on the survey program.